

Th£ 



P R E F A C 



ALTHOUGH the Author does not here mean to give a Preface at large, refervine that until the firft 

 volume containing thirty-fix numbers or two hundre! and fixteen plants, /hall be c"mp eated yet he nre- 

 fumes it will be fafsfaftory to his ; fubforibers and the public, to be informed a little morefolly of fhe nan e 



bee d n d ma g d a e m £ pl°an ofl" ^ ^ ^ "" *" ^«"^ ° f ■*"■** &me few ohjeains tha" h^ 



«rWn p r imar y defi § n of ^ then, is to facilitate a knowledge of the plants of our own country, and eftablifh 

 each fpec.es and variety oil a firm bafis: this the Author confiders as the grand defideratum at prefen * thb 



sttu£ ^gasSr* a way wiU be opened '. and a foundatioa ifid * ^^ «5&SS 



h,T^,^. C r b l! ed ^ d0 ^ hb ' h ? me , a " S V^ e the S reateft P a;ns in the examination of thofe plants which 

 he figures ; to have them drawn from hving fpecimens moft expreffive of the general habit or appearance of the plant 

 as it grows wild ; to place each plant as much as is confiftentf in the moft pleafing point of view ; and to be very 



S£dp&1£jK and defa,Ptl0n ° f tHe f6Veral ^ ° { the fl — and ^ **' efpeciaftj where 



And in order that he may obtain a more perfeft knowledge of each plant; that he may fee it in everv 

 ftage of its growth from the germination to the maturity of its feed ; that he may compare and contraft the feveral 

 fpecies together ; that he may make experiments to elucidate the nature of fuch as are obfcure, or bring into more 

 general ufe thofe which bidfa.r to be of advantage to the public; he is now cultivating each of them in afaiden i^r 

 thec.tr, mto which, by the kind affiftance of his friends, he has already introduced, !n the courfe of one fear about 

 five hundred different fpecies, including fixty of that moft valuable tribe of plants the grades, 



Although the afeertaining and fixing of the plants will be his principle object, yet to make the Work more ufefnl 

 o the public, as well as inftruawe and entertaining to the young bo'tanift his utmoft endeavour! will be uf do 

 lay before ithem whatever may be found ufeful in old botanic writers; and here they muft not be fuTprized to find 

 many of the numerous and imaginary virtues which they attributed to almoft every plant, putpofelyomitted the 

 difeover.es made by modern authors particularly relative to Agriculture and Rural Oeconomy, will be cLfullv attend! 

 ed to ; as herefeems to be a field juft opening to view, from whence the public is likely to draw great and laftfol 

 advan ages : and as a knowledge of the plants themfe ves is firft neceffary, and for want of which, indeed, he expef 

 tinThTs 1 ^rm a r t p e uIt U good < : 0mmUmCate h ' S -P™" 5 ' he fi " d s J-felf peculiarly happy iu *£& 



He is neyerthelefs fenfible how inadequate his abilities, or indeed the abilities of any one perfon are, to render a 

 work ofthis kind any ways compleat; he therefore refpeftfully folicits the affiftance of thofe, who whh well to the 

 miprovement oi Engl.Jl, Botany and Enghfi Agriculture: any information they ihall be pleafed to common a (h^l 

 with thofe favours he has already received from divers of his friends, be gratefully acknowledged; and to induce 

 them the more readily to communicate he has fubjoined a catalogue of thofe plants which (with many other We 

 already drawn, and which he intends lhall form the next Fafeiculus. "i.y otner»; „ie 



He is forry it has not been in his power to publifli his numbers fo faft as was originally propofed : the deliy hi, 

 chiefly been occafioned by the loft of one of his principal artifts, whofe place is now fupplied by two others em„Nv 

 eminent; fo that the drawing and engmving, which before fell to the thare of one perfon, b^ing now d tided t 

 twat two, he flatters himfelf he fliall be able to publifli a number once a month, or fix weeks at &SX2 s hot" 

 ever determined never to facrif.ce the accuracy or utility of the work to hurry-on this principle he has been a the ' 

 expence of hav.ng feme of h.s plates engraven twice, and even three times over before he could venture to ntiblim them 



tt*< 2 h3S ° nginated , m K th ' S *?""*!> ^1P eS n ° ne ° f his fubfaibers that h^ve hitherto fo genereuflfeontri-' 

 £ w>h J fTS U n °r he W0 {- k ' ^.^thdraw that affiftance, which alone can enable him to profecu"e 

 it with advantage to the public, credit to himfelf, and fatisfaction to them. Ptoiecute 



It now remains to obviate feme few objeflions which have been made to the plan of this work; and firft it has 

 been fuggefted to the Author that it would have been better received, if, inftead ofpurfuing the prefen pi n he 

 hadpubliftied thofe plants only which were not figured in the Flora Danica, a work now caf ry^offnX^ 

 nndertheaufpicesofthe^: but a few moments refleaion, muft he prefumes be fumcient/to^onviiice em'v 

 «..prejudiced perfon, how inadequate fuch a partial publication would have been to the making a Low X of rile 

 plants of our country more general among ourfelves-at beft fuch a work could only anfwer fhe purnofe 8 of hofe 

 few individuals who are in poffeffion of that part of the Flora Danica already publiihed ; and as that is ft.ll eo „f o, 

 there is no doubt but the fame plants would be publiihed by both Authors f thus, the Butomusun elZ & sL«m 

 Dulcamara ind Eryum hrfutum, have been publiihed in the Flora Danica fince they were publiflied m the fZ 

 Londtnenfo, fo that in the end even thofe perfons would be obliged topurchafe duplicates of the fame plant 



Another reafon why the Author could not adopt the plan propofed to him, was the limited fcale of the Flora Danka 

 which contains the figures and names of the plants only, but gives us no account of their properties no, reacts 'us 



^ZZt ' nfT' th r e d fr mit F Ia , ,? ° ne r ther ; Ae P' ates likewife being/^/Z/X, Lino aan it m»v of 

 the plan s of their natural fize, feyeral of the grafles for inftance, as the Feftucajluitins and Jira aauatica are obh ed to 

 be fo cutand diminiihed as fcarcely to be known. Many other obieaions 7 might be urged without any view to de- 

 C w-i Zrtltt t^^l-l?^ '" fome <^ as ">°* be -flied, has g exceeding gtea^ n^t :-° 



ihefe will probably be deemed ihfficien7 PeUS ™ ^ ° 6 ""'^' h * S ^^ S re " meHt : ~ but 



The 



